


Apocalypse

by 18lzytwner



Series: ThunderCats Second Series [8]
Category: Thundercats (1985)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-05-01
Updated: 2009-05-01
Packaged: 2019-07-03 23:09:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 17,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15828831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: This is rated a very STRONG T for violence, language, and implied sex. The ThunderCats are confronted with an old enemy and the stakes? Only the planet.





	1. Chapter 1

Thunder boomed and lightening cracked across the sky, waking Mumm-Ra from his eternal slumber. He exited his sarcophagus and headed for his bubbling cauldron. It was time to call his assassin to duty. News had spread of Solis and his treachery despite the ThunderCats' best efforts to keep it under wraps. With his loss of the Wollo leader, Mumm-Ra knew that now was the time to act. Standing at the edge of the cauldron he opened the dimensional rift and brought forth his assassin.

"Mumm-Ra San why have you called me forth?" The Ninja asked.

"I need you to kill someone. Are you up for the challenge Nagasaki?" The bundle of bones inquired.

"I do what my master bids." The leader of the Ninjas bowed.

"Excellent. Kill Lord Lion-O of the ThunderCats. You shall be handsomely rewarded." Mumm-Ra pointed to a pile of gold on the floor some twenty feet away. The Ninja bowed one more time before Mumm-Ra transported him out of the onyx pyramid to a location near Cat's Lair.

"It's a good day for evil." The ever-living source of evil smirked as he headed back to his sarcophagus. Once Lion-O was out of the way, he would give the Mutants a call.

"Calling Mandora Evil Chaser. Come in Evil Chaser, this is New Thundera over." Panthro had gotten the communications system back online while the ThunderGuard repaired the gun turret and surrounding electronics.

"This is Mandora, New Thundera. I read you." The crusty old space cop answered as her picture popped up on the screen.

"We need your assistance. How far away from Cat's Lair are you?" Panthro wanted to know.

"I'm leaving Space Base six. I could be there in four hours." Mandora replied.

"Excellent. We'll see you then. New Thundera out." The panther cut the connection and headed to find Lion-O.

He found the Lord of the ThunderCats helping the ThunderGuard move a large piece of limestone to fix the gun turret. Once it was in place the martial arts master pulled him aside.

"Mandora will be here in four hours." Panthro said.

"Good. Get Nayda, Hoheem, and Lavi here, along with the clan leaders from the villages. This is going to take an entire planet to come together." The lion gave his friend a nod.

"I'm on it." The panther gave a smile and headed back down the hall. Lion-O heaved a sigh before turning around to help the ThunderGuard. The Lair would have to be in the best shape possible should an invasion occur. It was then that the Sword of Omens roared.

"Danger!" Quickly Lion-O pulled the Sword from the Claw Shield and put the hilt up to his face.

"Sword of Omens give me Sight Beyond Sight!" He ordered. The picture was that of Hachiman, his loyal samurai friend.

"Lion-O San you must bring me to your dimension. I feel a disturbance." With that the image vanished. Quickly, the Lord of the ThunderCats went to the COM on the wall and made a Lair-wide announcement.

"All ThunderCats to the Heritage Room!" They were going to need the Book of Omens to help bring Hachiman to their dimension and it only made him wonder what the samurai was feeling.


	2. Chapter 2

"What's going on Lion-O?" Tygra asked as he arrived in the Heritage Room before anyone else.

"Hachiman contacted me through the Sword something is going on and we need to get him here." Lion-O explained.

"The Guardian should have that kind of power. Did Hachiman give you any specifics?" The orange tiger wondered.

"Unfortunately no. I need someone to watch the book while I'm inside. Everyone should be on their guard." He said.

"Definitely." Tygra nodded. If Hachiman was getting bad feeling then there was something seriously wrong. Everyone was already on edge and this was probably the last thing they needed but another friend to help in battle never hurt either.

By now the remainder of the ThunderCats had arrived, including Pumyra. The puma was about two months away from giving birth and as of late she had gained some extra weight. Walking was getting to be an everyday trial but she toughed it out.

Tygra opened the book and Lion-O used the Sword to enter it. Everyone in the room looked at the orange tiger as he began to explain what was going on.

"What I wouldn't give for a normal day around here." Panthro shook his head.

"You and me both, bub." Lea gave his arm a squeeze. Cheetara was strangely silent as thoughts raced through her mind. She had known what would happen when she married Lion-O, death threats, battling evil, was all part of the job but more and more she found she was uncomfortable with the whole thing. Pumyra seemed to sense that as she took hold of the cheetah's arm.

"Positive thinking." She winked.

"Of course." The cheetah smiled slightly. Now as the group waited for their fearless leader to return from the Book of Omens, the enemy approached.

Nagasaki looked at the entrance to Cat's Lair. It was heavily fortified with guards and cameras. The rain and lightening made his approach easy as the guards were more worried about getting soaked than anything else. Silently, the Ninja pulled two Hira-shuriken (throwing stars) from his pouch. With deadly accuracy, he struck both guards and snuck inside.

The ThunderGuardsman inside the control room noticed something was amiss and tried to radio the two who were suddenly not at their posts. When he got nothing, he sounded the alarm. The alert noise soon reached the ThunderCats inside the Heritage Room.

"Pumyra, Tygra, stay here." Panthro ordered as he and the others left the room and headed for the control room.

Nagasaki cursed his bad luck and hid in the shadows. From his position he could see the ThunderCats enter the control room but they were shy three members. It was then that he heard a howl. A horrible howl that he knew to be only one thing.

"Ma-Mutt get back here boy!" Sahara yelled at her loyal pooch as the dog raced down the hallway. He smelled something and he didn't like it. It stunk of his former master and could only spell one thing, trouble.

The leader of the Ninjas stepped out into the hallway as his attacker lunged. Sahara's eyes went wide with fear as she saw the intruder pull his katana from its sheath to defend himself. She let out a scream as the blade of the incredibly sharp sword went into her beloved pet's mouth and exited the through his snout. Still Ma-Mutt clamped his powerful jowls down on the Ninja's hands. Nagasaki let forth a horrible scream and tried to shake the dog off but he couldn't. As the ThunderCats raced from the control room, they barreled into the scene before them.


	3. Chapter 3

"I AM THE GUARDIAN OF THE BOOK OF OMENS! STATE YOUR NAME!" The Guardian bellowed it's traditional call.

"I am Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats." The lion responded.

"WHAT IS IT YOU REQUIRE MY LORD?" The Guardian asked.

"I need you to bring my friend Hachiman here from his dimension." Lion-O hoped the book knew what it was doing. Silence followed for a few moments before the Guardian replied,

"DONE." The next thing Lion-O knew he was being expelled from the Book of Omens. Upon reentry into his time and space, he landed on Tygra.

"Jaga, you need to lose some weight, my Lord." The orange tiger teased as Lion-O got up off the floor.

"What is going on?" The lion asked as alarms were sounding.

"I don't know. Panthro ordered me to stay here with Pumyra until you came out of the Book. Where is Hachiman?" Tygra inquired.

"I don't know. The Guardian promised it was done. Come on, we have to join the others." Lion-O said. Quickly the three left the room. However they didn't get far before they happened upon the other ThunderCats and the sounds of battle. There was blood on the floor and Sahara was crying as she held onto her beloved pet. Tygra's first concern was that some of the blood was the litah's.

"Sahara are you ok?" He asked as Lion-O barreled ahead into the group.

"He killed Ma-Mutt." Was all she said to him. The orange tiger looked at the dog and noticed the large hole in the top of his snout. The blood on the floor was definitely Ma-Mutt's. Checking the animal for a pulse, he wasn't surprised to not find one. After all, the dog was part of the living dead but that got him wondering about Ma-Mutt's mortality.

"Pumyra, take these two to the medical bay. See if you can't help Ma-Mutt." Tygra told her.

"On it." The puma helped Sahara up and the two carried the dog back down the hallway. Now Tygra's focus shifted to the fight.

"What the…?" The sentence didn't completely form as he watched Hachiman fight with a one handed Ninja.

"I watched that Ninja cut off his own hand to get Ma-Mutt off him and then poof Hachiman appeared." Panthro explained.

"I imagine the Ninja won't last much longer since some of the blood on the floor is his." Tygra nodded to his friend. It was at this point that the Sword of Omens let out a ferocious roar. Lion-O pulled it out of the Claw Shield but before he could ask it what was wrong Hachiman's Thunder Cutter sliced through Nagasaki's mid-section. Blood shot out everywhere and the Ninja's two halves fell to the floor. Nagasaki tried to take a few breaths and his top half jerked about for a few seconds before it was over. Hachiman heaved heavy breaths and sheathed his powerful katana. Everyone in the hallway stood with their mouths hanging open. Never before had Hachiman killed anyone, usually the Thunder Cutter wouldn't let him. The samurai approached the dead body of his fallen enemy, placed the palms of his hands together in front of his chest, bowed his head, and muttered something in Japanese. Then he turned to the ThunderCats and said,

"Mumm-Ra San is behind this." Lion-O was the first to speak after a few moments.

"We kind of figured."

"Come I must tell you all I know. The imbalance I felt is spreading across your dimension and into mine. I have resolved our problem but yours is a much greater one, I fear." Hachiman said.


	4. Chapter 4

Mumm-Ra cursed his bad luck. He hadn't planned on Hachiman showing up and he certainly didn't think the righteous samurai would do what he did.

"What a mess." He muttered to himself. The ancient bones in the mummy's legs found comfort in pacing as he tried to think of something else to do. The invasion couldn't begin if Lion-O was still in power. However, Mumm-Ra realized that every assassin that he'd thrown at the Lord of the ThunderCats had been defeated. With ideas running out, the mummy used his cauldron to contact the Mutant forces.

"Rataro come in!" He shouted.

"What do you want Mumm-Ra? I'm a little busy trying to plan an invasion." The rat gave him a dirty look.

"Watch your tongue rodent or the next thing you'll be planning will be your escape from the Penal Planet!" Mumm-Ra shouted at him again. This time Rataro took notice and kept his mouth shut.

"We need to move up the timetable. I want you and your ships in New Thunderian air space by noon tomorrow." The ever-living source of evil said.

"Noon tomorrow? I thought we had until the end of the week." Rataro did not like where the mummy was going.

"Noon tomorrow or I kill you myself." With that Mumm-Ra cut the connection and walked back to his sarcophagus.

"Noon tomorrow eh? Something tells me things didn't go according to plan. Soldier!" The rat had an idea.

"Yes Sir?" One of the Monkian's asked.

"I need you to take some men and round up every bit of Thundrainium we have on this planet. We're going to need it." Rataro gave the order and the Monkian was off to find the precious substance.

"If Mumm-Ra can't kill Lion-O, I'll do it myself." He chuckled to himself.

WWWWWWWWWWWWW

Back on New Thundera, Mandora had arrived. She listened to everything that Hachiman had to say before turning to Lion-O.

"An invasion of Mutants? I haven't seen anything in the planet scans to show that some type of mobilization is occurring." The Evil Chaser was skeptical.

"We're not sure how he's doing it but with the information from our Wollo traitor seems to be accurate." Lion-O explained. Mandora nodded and thought about the information again. There was a lot to absorb and she wasn't sure how they could handle it.

"We must act fast or Good will find itself to be outnumbered by Evil." Hachiman was getting nervous. Rightly so as if he felt a disturbance there had to be a lot of trouble on the horizon.

"Looking at our active troop numbers and those in the reserve, we could hold out for a day maybe two before we would need serious backup." Panthro pointed out from the pieces of paper in front of him.

"That depends on how many soldiers they bring. I'm not sure the ThunderGuard would be able to withstand that. We're looking at sending two-thirds of our soldiers to their deaths. Even if New Thundera were to hold back the invaders our population and army would be decimated. The next wave would end our civilization as we know it." Tygra hated to be the pessimist but they all knew he had a point. A great loss of life might not be unavoidable in this situation.

"Let me contact Space Base fourteen. They can get me scans on Plundarr. In the meantime get all your clan leaders and Nayda, Hoheem, and Lavi here on the double. They have to be informed or evacuated from this planet." Mandora told them before walking with Snarfer to the control room.

"Ben, I want Pumyra and your kids off this planet as soon as possible. The same goes for Panthet, Mari, Rohon, Sahara, and Leo. I don't want them here if the worst should happen." Lion-O said. Ben wanted to argue but he knew in order to protect the young ones and his pregnant wife that it would be best to do so.

"Upon Mandora's confirmation of mobilization on Plundarr, I also want any civilian Thunderian, Balkan, or Wollo off this rock as soon as possible. Start calling Space Bases and get Third Earth prepped if need be. I don't want innocent people dying." The Lord of the ThunderCats continued.

"We're talking a mass scale evacuation. We may not have time for that." Lea said.

"Then do the best you can. I'll get the clan leaders, Nayda, Hoheem, and Lavi on the horn." With that the meeting ended leaving most of them with bad feelings in the pits of their stomachs.


	5. Chapter 5

Pumyra desperately tried to save the beloved ThunderCat pet but she hadn't had much luck so far. Of course maybe she was, she'd never operated on an animal that was supposed to be dead before. The puma only hoped she could save the brave dog and not have to deliver any bad news to Sahara.

"How is he?" The litah asked Snarf, who had helped her wash the blood off and get some clean clothes on.

"I don't know but Pumyra knows what she is doing, don't worry, Snarf Snarf," the nursemaid smiled. Deep down Snarf hoped he wasn't lying to the girl. The doors to the medical bay slid open and Tyler rushed in. Immediately he focused his attention on Sahara.

"I just heard what happened. How is he?" He wanted to know.

"Your mom is still working on him." Sahara said. It was evident she was trying to hold back tears and Tyler wondered if he should deliver the news he had just received.

"Snarf!" Pumyra shouted from the operating room. The nursemaid swallowed a lump in his throat and headed to help the puma. He hated going in there but Sahara was in no shape to go either.

"Yes, Pumyra?" Snarf asked.

"I need you to get Tygra. I'm a little out of my league here." She told him.

"I'll go find him." Quickly he was out the door and racing passed the two cubs. Tyler swallowed hard before trying to distract Sahara but it was too late, she'd read Snarf's thoughts, he could tell by the look on her face. At this point, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore and Tyler pulled her close to him and let her cry on his shoulder.

Snarf arrived just as the group was going to sit down to discuss the planet's fate. He quickly found the orange tiger and whispered into his ear. Tygra heaved a sigh. He had been afraid of that. Pumyra was a very capable doctor but when dealing with the living dead, he knew better than to try to let her face it on her own. For Jaga's sake, he didn't even know if he could help but he'd try. He excused himself and Lion-O understood. After the tiger was gone, he called the group to order.

"We have a serious threat facing us and I need everyone to cooperate." The Lord of the ThunderCats said.

"Then the talk of a Mutant invasion is true then." Liir, leader of the pumas, shook his head.

"I'm afraid so. We're planning to evacuate all non-military personnel to Space Bases and Third Earth is trying to do the same thing." Lion-O replied.

"How are the Space Bases going to hold all of our people?" Panthane, leader of the panthers, asked.

"All Space Bases have been ordered to prepare for receiving large numbers of people. We are also contacting nearby planets for their assistance but the planets are further away than the Bases and traveling to New Thundera will take too long. Therefore people will be shuttled from the Space Bases to the planets. We already have our allies en route." Mandora explained.

"What proof do you have of this invasion you speak of?" The head of the lynx clan, Tylen, inquired.

"Satellite imagery shows that the Mutants are moving large quantities of food, fuel, and other supplies into their main military base in the capital. Thermal scans of the base show large numbers of bodies inside. Considering it is usually only inhabited by about fifty soldiers, we believe that the threat of an attack is real." Mandora passed out the pictures she'd received from Evil Chaser headquarters.

"That being said, I want our people off the planet as soon as possible. Have them pack only the essentials and return to Cat's Lair for shuttles immediately." Lion-O ordered. No arguments were given and everyone left the room leaving the ThunderCats and Mandora to plan to repel the invaders.


	6. Chapter 6

Tygra looked at the mess in front of him and shook his head. Pumyra had skillfully sewed the undead dog back together and stopped the bleeding but the fact remained, they had no idea if the poor animal would survive especially now that the evacuation orders had been given.

"What do we do?" The puma asked.

"We'll have to keep him sedated, that's our best option. If his mind is not aware to the trauma of being flown in a transport than perhaps he will not have any adverse affects from it." The orange tiger sighed.

"What about all the blood he lost? I had no way to replace it and have been pumping him full of plasma." Pumyra gave her friend a look.

"That's the best we can do. Mixing our blood with his could kill him." Tygra thought that statement over and tried to figure out if they could actually kill the dog of the living dead.

"Prep him and then go grab your things. You and the children will be first off this rock. I'll go talk to Lion-O." The tiger continued. Pumyra nodded and quickly began grabbing the medication she would need and other medical equipment. On his way out of the medical bay, Tygra made sure that Snarf was helping Sahara and Tyler get their things together too. Knowing the litah would read his thoughts; he kept his mind on all the other troubles going on and just gave Sahara a smile.

Finding Lion-O was the easy part, pulling him away from the task at hand wasn't. Still Tygra managed to deliver the news. The lion heaved a sigh and turned to his friend.

"We are staying here. Would it be better for him to stay as well?"

"I'd be lying if I said it would be better to put him on a transport." Tygra said. Lion-O was afraid of that. They would have to assign someone to watch over Ma-Mutt while the others fought off the invaders. Something they simply couldn't do. At least if he traveled Pumyra could look after him.

"All right. Prep him to go with the kids." The Lord of the ThunderCats told him. Tygra nodded and moved back to the medical bay.

Out in space, the Mutant forces began their journey toward New Thundera. Leaving now would ensure they got to their destination on time like Mumm-Ra wanted.

"General Rataro, all ships are airborne and reporting in." One of the helmsmen stated.

"Good. Set a course for New Thundera. I'll be in the workshop." The rat smirked.

"Yes sir." The helmsman replied. With that Rataro headed down to the workshop where one of his best weapons makers was testing a new piece of hardware.

"Ah General Rataro, so good to see you." The vulture nodded.

"Good to see you Vultron. What have you got for me?"

"Only the finest blaster known to Mutantkind. It fires Thundrainium blasts. I'm working on making more cartridges for it right now." Vultron smirked.

"Excellent. How many shots would it take to kill a ThunderCat?" Rataro wanted to know.

"According to my calculations, one direct shot to any major body part should do it. Two or more may be needed should you hit them somewhere else." The vulture explained.

"What is the range of this fantastic gun?" The General raised an eyebrow.

"Standard distance rules apply, I'm afraid. If I had more time, perhaps I could have gotten a sniper rifle prepared." Vultron said.

"So my accuracy will only be good from twenty feet and closer. Just how am I supposed to get that close?" Rataro asked.

"The bullets radiate Thundrainium, my General. Once within the range, a ThunderCat will feel the effects of the substance. Then you may get up close and personal without harm from your opponent." This made both of them smirk.

"Excellent work my friend. We'll have this war won in no time." Rataro said.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major T rating this chapter

Sahara watched as the planet shrank from view. She had wanted to stay behind but her mother told her that Ma-Mutt needed her and that her mother and father wanted her to be safe. Leo had been given instructions to keep an eye on his elder sister, which Tyler promised to help him with.

Snarf was helping Pumyra and the other children get settled in their temporary quarters on the ship as the journey to Space Base six was about an hour. The puma had had the men put Ma-Mutt in the ship's medical quarters and the medical technician aboard was to alert her to any changes. Needless to say, she was worried but she had more than the pooch on her mind. She didn't want to be giving birth to a cub in space. Space travel with a newborn wasn't exactly the best idea. Plus she wanted Ben to be there.

Back on New Thundera, darkness began to settle. However, ships still left the planet searching for safe havens on bases. Lion-O sat alone in his office, trying to work out everything. He had to come up with military strategies, supply routes, and try to remain sane during it all. There was an early morning meeting with his generals and then he had to talk to the Evil Chasers about backup. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do.

"Jaga help me." The lion sighed. If there were a time for his mentor to show up, now would be it.

"Lion-O, remember who you are. The Eye of Thundera will guide you. The Sword of Omens will protect you and your comrades will fight to the last. Use these tools to be victorious." Jaga smiled at his friend.

"How can I protect everyone? The Sword will not save our planet just as it could not save Thundera before it's destruction." Lion-O shook his head.

"Be strong. Your father would expect you to be, as do your fellow ThunderCats." Jaga reminded him.

"You are right Jaga as always. I just hope I can be the King my people need me to be. That I can be the Lord they expect me to be." The lion heaved a sigh.

"I know you can be, Lion-O. Hachiman is a great ally. Use your combined strengths to defeat the invaders." The older ex-Lord of the ThunderCats imparted his last piece of wisdom before vanishing. Heaving another sigh and slumping his shoulders forward, Lion-O tried to think of what Jaga had meant. However he didn't get very far as his office door opened.

"What is it now? Earthquake? Mudslide? Volcanic eruption?" He asked, not looking up.

"No my Lord, just a half naked cheetah." The sentence made him pick his head up. There was truth to the statement as there stood Cheetara in a slinky nightgown that barely covered her soft buttocks.

"Sweet Berbil Fruit." Lion-O swallowed, immediately feeling uncomfortable in his seat.

"We know not what tomorrow brings, my King. Tonight we must live to the fullest." If she was trying to seduce him, it was working. She made sure the door slid behind her and pressed the lock button on the keypad. No words came to the lion as he licked his lips and tried to get some saliva going. They hadn't had a night like this since their last anniversary. The cheetah made her way to his desk and chair. She pulled the seat away from the desk and plopped herself onto his lap. No words were exchanged as their lips crushed together.

Meanwhile, Panthro and Lea were trying to adjust to not having the cubs around. It was too quiet and they lay in bed staring up at the ceiling.

"I…" he started.

"I know. You'd think we'd be…" she started.

"We have no way of being interrupted." He shook his head.

"Maybe we liked the danger aspect too much." The lioness shrugged.

"Plenty of that going on." The panther told her.

"Maybe we shouldn't have done it in the broom closet earlier." Lea suggested.

"That was hot." Panthro said.

"Speaking of hot, how about a shower. You know that always gets me in the mood." She turned to him, with a smirk on her face.

"Well we did just have that last hole in the wall patched. We could make another one." He smirked back. In the next few seconds, the two of them raced to their bathroom, shucking their clothes as they went.


	8. Chapter 8

The morning dawned bright as it always did despite the current circumstances. Sun penetrated the windows inside Lion-O's office, waking the Lord of the ThunderCats from his peaceful slumber. He looked at the clock on the wall and realized his meeting with the ThunderGuard Generals was in ten minutes. Quickly the lion woke his sleeping mate from their makeshift bed on the floor of his office.

"I have to be in the counsel room in ten minutes." He told her. Cheetara was still a little groggy and she didn't quite comprehend the situation until she saw her husband heading for his private bathroom and turning the hot water on. At which point, she got up, slipped her nightgown back on, and went about cleaning up the room. Important documents and office supplies lay all over the room from the previous night's escapades.

"We have to talk to Panthro about getting a shower installed in there. Washing my hair in the sink isn't easy." Lion-O said as he shook the water out of his ears.

"Especially since now I have to sneak down the hall wearing nothing but my nighty." Cheetara smirked as she looked at herself. Not exactly the best cover but it would be better than get caught out in the hallway naked.

"And perhaps an extra closet." Lion-O nodded, grabbing his military uniform from the nearby closet. Cheetara grabbed the blanket from the floor and wrapped it around her lower half.

"I can't find my underwear so make sure you find it before anyone else does. I'll see you after your meeting." With that the cheetah was gone in a flash. The Lord of the ThunderCats shook his head and left the room.

In the counsel room, all the generals sat waiting for the King to arrive. He was only a minute late and they figured he had other urgent business to attend to so they weren't upset.

"Sorry gentlemen. Lets get started." Lion-O entered the room and they all stood from their seats.

"Sir, we may have a plan of attack ready but we need your input." General Cougara said.

"Sounds good. We need to hold them back for as long as possible. The Evil Chasers have promised backup but I don't yet know when it will arrive." The lion explained.

"Despite the villages being empty, we figured we'd still need to post men there should the Mutants try to use them as strongholds." Cougara told him.

"Excellent point. How many men should we allocate per village?" The Lord of the ThunderCats wondered.

"Looking at the numbers, I'd say thirty men." Tygra shook his head.

"That's it?" Lion-O raised an eyebrow.

"We're spread too thin, My King. Third Earth has need of our men as well. The contingent send there during peace time was not big enough for the entire planet." General Tiberius said.

"Even with the draft we could not make up enough numbers?" Lion-O questioned.

"No. Most of those drafted have little or no experience with fighting. Their age ranges vary from late teens to mid-sixties." General Persius told them.

"What is being done about their training?" The Lord of the ThunderCats wanted to know.

"They are being taught how to use blasters and some hand to hand combat." Panthro spoke up.

"Most of them won't make it back will they?" Lion-O was not happy about that.

"I'm afraid not but war always has casualties. An unfortunate consequence but if we are to save the Thunderian race we have no choice. They make up twenty-five percent of our troops." Cougara told the group.

"Then send them to the safest places you can think of. We must give them and ourselves more time to fight." The lion said.

"Protecting Cat's Lair should be the main priority. We have the equipment here for medical services and stock the most weapons." Panthro shifted the focus of the conversation.

"Agreed. Work out a good plan and fill me in when you're done. I have to meet Mandora in the control room." With that Lion-O left the counsel room and headed down the hallway.


	9. Chapter 9

While Lion-O discussed options with Mandora and the Evil Chaser Council, Rataro's ships were beginning to assume positions orbiting New Thundera.

"Cloaks on! The last thing we need is to spoil the surprise." The rat ordered.

"Aye sir!" The helmsman replied.

"We are in position as Mumm-Ra wanted and early to boot. Now where is that bag of bones when you need him?" Rataro was impatient. The sooner he caught the ThunderCats off guard the better. He knew he'd suffer heavy casualties but if they managed to wipe most of the Thunderians off the planet, they could use the rest for slaves.

"Rataro you miserable rodent!" The image of Mumm-Ra appeared on the bridge of the ship.

"I did as you requested you bundle of decaying bones." The rat spat.

"Lion-O has the Evil Chaser Council on the video phone. Attack before they finish the call!" With that the mummy vanished.

"You heard him! Shields up! Cloaks down! Enter the atmosphere!" Rataro yelled to his crew and with precision the Mutants began their descent.

The Eye of Thundera roared and Lion-O quickly pulled the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield.

"Sword of Omens give me Sight Beyond Sight!" He commanded and the Sword obeyed.

"Shit." He no sooner got the word out of his mouth when,

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" The warning alarm went off in Cat's Lair. Grabbing the radio, the lion broadcast a message that would be the last one some of the ThunderGuard would ever hear,

"Man your battle stations! This is not a drill! Mutant ships have entered our atmosphere!" Once the message was relayed, the Lord of the ThunderCats raced out into the hallway with Mandora on his heels.

The ThunderCats met them and the group headed to the hanger. Panthro, Lea, and Ben-Gali hopped into the ThunderTank while Cheetara, Tygra, and WilyKit jumped into the ThunderStrike. Lion-O and Mandora boarded the Feliner and began the engines.

"Last time you flew this thing it didn't have any big weapons on it. How are we going to fight the Mutant ships?" Mandora asked as the runway cleared.

"Panthro made some modifications." Lion-O couldn't help but smirk. The engines revved and the Feliner took flight to meet the oncoming onslaught of Mutant ships.

Below the Feliner, the ThunderTank aided the anti-aircraft guns by firing upon their attackers. The ThunderStrike took to the skies to lead the smaller gun ships and transports into battle. Blasts hit their enemies but they just bounced off the ships.

"Their shields are up! Evasive maneuvers!" Tygra ordered from the ThunderStrike. Quickly the smaller ships tried to move out of the way as a barrage of laser fire shot forth from the Mutant ships. Explosions were everywhere, filling the sky with smoke and the smell of death.

"Gold Leader to ThunderStrike! Gold Leader to ThunderStrike!" A frantic voice came over the radio.

"ThunderStrike here." Tygra responded.

"I've lost three ships in my squad and my ship is damaged. What are your orders?" The Gold Leader wanted to know.

"Fight to the last!" The tiger ordered.

"Yes Sir!" With that the radio transmission ended.

"This is Tygra to all remaining airships! Attack pattern Delta!" The command given, the remaining ships went into formation and let loose a barrage of laser fire. More explosions filled the sky but this time on the enemy side.

"Feliner now!" Tygra shouted. Lion-O didn't need to be told twice as he pulled the large spaceship out of its climb and turned it around so that the ship was now behind the first wave of Mutant ships.

"Fire in the hole!" He shouted.


	10. Chapter 10

A flash of amazement was immediately followed by death as the first wave of Mutant ships exploded. Panthro's enhancement of hidden rocket launchers on the Feliner worked all too well and unfortunately it ruined the surprise. The second wave directly behind them opened up and shot at the Feliner trying to disable it. Lion-O quickly tried to maneuver the big vehicle. He had to get back to Cat's Lair to reload.

"All fighters protect the Feliner!" Tygra ordered over the radio. Ships and firing crews from the ground below aimed and fired. Explosions occurred left and right of the Feliner as the Lord of the ThunderCats brought it back to the Lair. Without so much as a word being spoken, the ThunderGuard members inside the Lair's hanger were reloading the ship's massive rocket chambers.

"Where is Hachiman?" Lion-O asked over the radio.

"He's preparing the ground troops in front of the Lair. We're running out of ships and an invasion is all too likely." Tygra replied.

"What is the status of our forces?" The Lord of the ThunderCats radioed the control room where Colonel Cougara was running the Lair's weapons.

"We have forty ships remaining in the skies, Lord Lion-O. We've lost thirty-five." The cougar responded.

"Shit." The lion cursed under his breath.

"The Evil Chasers are en route. They should be here within an hour." Mandora told him.

"If we have any Air Force left by then. This is my fault. I should have built up a large military force during peace time." Again Lion-O cursed himself.

"Feliner you are go for takeoff!" Came the shout from the floor. Quickly, Lion-O revved the engines and headed back out into the fray.

Sahara now sat next to her beloved pooch on Space Base six. He wasn't fairing much better and she looked like she was about to join him. For that Tyler was glad they were in the medical quarters.

"I'm worried about her." Leo whispered.

"Me too." Tyler sighed. The two sat only a few feet away from her but she hadn't even noticed they were there. The litah hadn't spoken much since they left the planet and he wondered what else was on her mind.

"Listen, we need to talk." The pumiger said, standing up and heading out into the hallway where Leo followed.

"You will be the next Lord of the ThunderCats and I need you to promise me something." Tyler him.

"Anything." Leo nodded.

"I need you to let me take care of Sahara. If duty calls, go. Don't worry about her. I'll take things from here." The pumiger had a determined look on his face.

"But she's my sister…" the young litah argued.

"One Thunderian is not as important as the entire race. You have to think big picture." Tyler pointed out. Leo knew he was right. They were slowly becoming the best of friends and the litah knew that despite being only one year older Tyler had already become an adult in the eyes of his father.

"I swear if anything happens to her…" the threat was issued and both knew what it meant.

"You have my word. Death before dishonor." Tyler didn't completely understand that but he'd heard Hachiman say it and it sounded cool. With a nod, Leo turned and left to find Pumyra. He needed an update on the battle for New Thundera.


	11. Chapter 11

Rataro watched from the bridge of his ship as the Feliner had destroyed part of his fleet. His men had acted much like he thought they would. Most were afraid followed by a few that were angry. Fighting the ThunderCats had always been dangerous they knew that but death had usually been avoided.

"Steady men. Now we know their trick it will not work again. Bring the third fleet commander up on the screen." The rat ordered. The helmsman did as he was told and a Slythe-like creature appeared on the screen.

"Commander I want all weapons trained on the Feliner. Bring that ship down." Rataro said.

"Sir we have intel suggesting that Lion-O himself is flying the Feliner. Does your order still stand?"

"Force it to land. I'll deal with Lion-O myself." Rataro changed his order and fingered the weapon made by Vultron.

"And take out the rest of their ships. Our invasion must begin soon." He continued.

"Yes General." And with that the call ended and Rataro turned to his men.

"I want you to land our ship in the forest not far outside Cat's Lair. From there I will command the ground troops. Order all remaining ships to follow." The helmsman nodded and set a course for the forest.

Mumm-Ra watched the battle from the safety of his pyramid. The water bubbled and frothed in his cauldron.

"I have them now. And when both the Mutants and ThunderCats realize that I will be assuming command of this puny planet, no one will be able to stop me." He cackled.

"Think again!" Mumm-Rana appeared out of nowhere and blasted an energy beam at the mummy.

"You bitch!" Mumm-Ra screamed as he fired back. Mumm-Rana dodged the shot and continued her assault.

"You will not ruin this planet as you tried to ruin First Earth. I will not allow it!" She blasted another shot of energy and caught Mumm-Ra in the chest sending him back up against his sarcophagus. That's when she moved in for the kill.

"Feliner look out you've got one on your tail!" Tygra shouted over the radio.

"I can't shake this bastard. Somebody get him off me!" Lion-O screamed.

"This is the ThunderTank. Bring him in my sights." Panthro responded. The Lord of the ThunderCats did as he was told and from the back of the Tank erupted a flash of light. Lea smirked as she watched the missile leave the modified vehicle and strike down the enemy chasing the Feliner.

"Great shot!" Lion-O cheered.

"Evil Chasers will be entering Thunderian air space in twenty minutes." Mandora relayed from the communication she just received inside her helmet. Before Lion-O could say anything there was an explosion in the back of the Feliner. The lion desperately tried to stabilize the craft but the back half of the ship was severely damaged.

"Shit! We're going down!" Lion-O shouted into the radio. Another missile was fired at them narrowly missing and striking a ship nearby.

"Lion-O can you put her down in front of the anti-aircraft launchers?" Tygra asked.

"Negative. I have no rudder and she's starting to get out of control. Clear the ground!" The Lord of the ThunderCats ordered. Panthro took control on the ground with the help of Hachiman. The Feliner was coming down fast and impact was only seconds away.

"Jaga help me." Were the last words Lion-O said before the ship hit the ground with unbelievable force. Shrapnel flew everywhere and Cheetara looked on in horror as flames started to engulf the ship.


	12. Chapter 12

Tygra released the pods from the ThunderStrike so they could help the crews on the ground. The ThunderTank used its water storage to try to put out the flames as Hachiman used the Thunder Cutter to slice his way through the tangle wreckage.

"Lion-O!" He shouted.

"Here Hachiman!" Mandora yelled back. A few more slices and the samurai found the Lord of the ThunderCats and next to him Mandora. The lion was out cold from the injury to his forehead and Hachiman realized that his legs were trapped beneath the console. He had to get Mandora out first, as she was easier to access.

"I think my leg is broken." She told him.

"I'm coming." He promised. Turning to the ThunderGuard members behind him, he explained the situation quickly as the flames continued to spread closer to them. The ThunderTank was out of water and was doing it's best to put out the flames with dirt.

"Mandora grab-a my hand." He ordered after returning to her. She did as she was told surprisingly without putting up a fight. With all the upper-body strength he could muster, Hachiman pulled her from her seat and into his arms. Then he passed her off to two ThunderGuard members who rushed her to the medical triage.

"Where is Lion-O?" Cheetara raced up to the scene.

"He is trapped but I will get him out. We need those flames extinguished." Hachiman said. The cheetah nodded and raced toward the ThunderTank. Without telling them what she was going to do, Cheetara began circling the Feliner at her maximum speed creating a tornado effect on the flames and the ruined vehicle. The flames shot upward and were soon extinguished. Just in time, as the fuel tanks were almost set ablaze. An explosion of that magnitude would have killed all of them. Then she raced back to Hachiman.

"Can you get him out?" She asked; her nerves were at the breaking point.

"I need help. This steering object is keeping him down. I must lift it." The samurai replied. With in an instant, Cheetara raced back to Panthro. He was the strongest. He could lift it.

The panther handed the control of the ThunderTank to Lea and WilyKit jumped aboard. Now the three turned their attention back to the skies and trying to fend off the enemy. Unfortunately they knew nothing about the incoming ground forces or the secret weapon that they carried.

"I'll get this off." A smirk crossed Panthro's face and he used his bulging biceps to lift the console up. Hachiman pulled Lion-O from underneath it and Panthro released it.

"We must get him to the medical staff." The panther said as the two of them carefully lifted the Lord of the ThunderCats out of the Feliner and headed for Cat's Lair. Cheetara met them there afraid of the worst and praying to Jaga it wasn't.

The trained ThunderGuard medics took over once they reached the fortress and Panthro turned to Hachiman.

"With Lion-O out of commission that makes Tygra temporary Lord of the ThunderCats. We need to get him the Sword." The panther explained as he clutched the Claw Shield and Sword of Omens.

"Do it quickly. I have a bad feeling." The samurai had a strange look on his face as Panthro left him to get into one of the ThunderStrike pods. Hachiman called the troops over and ordered them into position.

"A great evil comes this way." He told them. Some of the younger soldiers looked as though they were going to lose it. Lion-O had fallen, what chance had they of withstanding the enemy?


	13. Chapter 13

"How is he?" Cheetara asked as the trained staff tended to their King.

"Well so far the scans only detect a possible concussion and two broken legs." The young puma replied.

"Two broken legs?" The cheetah gave the medical technician a look. He made it sound like it was no big deal.

"I must go back and join the fight. As soon as I…" she didn't get to finish as loud zooming noises filled the skies. Looking around, motorcycles and larger ships filled the air.

"Evil Chasers Attack!" Mandora yelled through her radio helmet. The cheetah rushed over to the law woman and saw her left leg was in a cast.

"Thank Jaga." Cheetara said.

"We'll fight them to the last. No doubt those lousy Mutant scum are in for a surprise." Mandora chuckled. Cheetara chuckled as well. If all the Evil Chasers were as tough as Mandora the Mutants had no idea what they were up against. The cheetah gave a nod and zipped off back to her ThunderStrike pod.

Meanwhile, Rataro watched as his remaining air troops were getting shot out of the sky by the ThunderCats' reinforcements.

"Damn them! Where is Mumm-Ra?" He asked a question no one could answer. None of the Mutants had any idea what was keeping the mummy.

"We can't wait for him. On my signal, we start moving in our attack force." The rat declared. This sent the troops into a lather. They were all anxious to kill some ThunderCats.

Mumm-Rana was busy using the miserable mummy as a punching bag when he kicked her in the stomach. She fell backwards and Mumm-Ra took this opportunity to try to get the upper hand but she kicked him in the groin. He fell backwards and cursed under his breath.

"Damn you woman!"

"You can curse at me all you want but I am stronger than you realize. I will destroy you. Now call off the Mutant troops before more people die or I will use that strength to crush you." Mumm-Rana now had her foot on Mumm-Ra's throat. The mummy gagged and tried to speak so she eased off his throat slightly. After a good cough, Mumm-Ra rasped,

"You cannot kill me wench for then you will take my place as master of all that is Evil. The war will continue and Evil will be victorious." Unfortunately, he had a point; murder begets murder. So what would she do?

Up at the Space Base, Sahara watched as Ma-Mutt's body began to shake. She called out for help and the medical technicians came running in. Tyler pulled her back as they assessed the situation.

"Is he having a seizure?" One wondered.

"I have no idea. I've never worked with the living dead before." The other said.

"What's going on?" Pumyra asked as she entered the room. Ma-Mutt continued to convulse on the med-bay bed.

"Give me another sedative. He's going to rattle himself apart!" The first technician shouted as he tried to hold the dog down. His colleague went to the medicine cabinet and retrieved the sedative.

"He's been pumped full of sedatives. You give me another one and it's liable to kill him." Pumyra told them.

"Then what do we do?" They both looked at her. The puma wasn't sure what to do and she feared that any other course of action would cause the beloved pet to die for real. Then she had an idea.

"Get the crash cart!" She ordered. Both technicians looked at her like she was crazy.

"Do it!" Quickly the two did as they were told. Grabbing the paddles and charging the dial to one-fifty, the puma shouted,

"Clear!" In an instant, Ma-Mutt stilled. Pumyra then checked him over. Ma-Mutt appeared to be breathing but she couldn't be sure; at least not until he opened his eyes.


	14. Chapter 14

"Ma-Mutt you old hound you!" Sahara threw her arms around the dog's neck and hugged him after Tyler had let go of her. He playfully licked her and the medical technicians both looked at Pumyra. She just shrugged and waved her hands a little bit to explain that she didn't know how that worked either. Tyler moved closer to the dog and patted him on the head.

"You had me worried you know?" He gave a slight smile. Ma-Mutt gave a small bark and raised an eyebrow, as if to say, "you were more worried about her".

"How long until he can run around?" Sahara asked finally letting go of him.

"Uh I don't know. I…" Pumyra didn't get to finish as Ma-Mutt hopped off the bed he'd been on.

"Now, I guess." The puma smirked.

"Come on boy! Let's go find Leo." The litah smiled and the two walked out of the room leaving everyone to scratch their heads at his miraculous recovery.

"There you are Leo. You sure have been hard to find." His sister said as she finally found him about half an hour later in the secure conference room. The younger litah shook his head. He had no idea how to tell her the news he'd received. When she saw the look on his face she knew there was trouble.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Dad has been hurt. Tygra has taken command of the troops. I have been ordered to remain here and wait for further instruction." He explained.

"How bad is he?" Sahara's eyes were wide with fear. She had just gotten her dog back, now was not the time to lose her father.

"I don't know. They won't tell me." Leo heaved a sigh. His sister fell into a nearby chair and Ma-Mutt quickly leaned on her legs, letting her know he was there.

"Can you contact him?" Her brother wondered.

"It doesn't work that way. I have to be able to be close to him in order to take over his body. And then someone has to watch my body and make sure nothing happens to it." She explained. Leo nodded. He knew she would do whatever she could have had she been able.

"I may not be able to reach Dad but perhaps I can reach mom." Sahara told him.

"How?" Leo wondered.

"Our sixth senses. I may be able to tap into hers." She said. Closing her eyes, the litah focused on reaching her mother. It could be dangerous for the both of them but they needed to know about their father.

"Mutants! Attack!" Rataro shouted and with that the ground invasion had begun. The best-trained ThunderGuard, with Hachiman leading them, met the invaders. Violence has erupted on New Thundera covering the ground with blood and the dead.

Hachiman forces appeared to be winning the battle along with help from the Evil Chasers and the ThunderTank. Tygra, Cheetara, WilyKit, and WilyKat watched from their secure positions.

"On my mark, we join our forces with Hachiman's and give them all we've got." Tygra turned to the troops behind him. They were WilyKat's to command but when the current Lord of the ThunderCats told them to do something, they would do it.

"All right soldiers, this is it. It has been an honor to serve with you. May victory come on swift wings and may Jaga help us all." WilyKat told them.

"Sir yes Sir!" They responded. It was then that Tygra held the Sword of Omens above his head and shouted,

"Thunder… Thunder… Thunder… THUNDERCATS HO!"


	15. Chapter 15

The group charged toward their friends. The Mutant troops saw the reinforcements sent their way and it seemed to embolden them, which was not the reaction the ThunderCats were hoping for. Perhaps it was because the Mutants knew that the new Thunderian forces were the last of the troops.

"Ho!" Tygra shouted and an energy beam shot forth wiping a good number or Mutants out.

"Tygra San watch out!" Hachiman's cries came just as Rataro fired his blaster. The orange tiger could feel the heat from the blast and something else.

"Thundrainium!" He cried out. Cheetara stopped in her path after knocking down the latest Mutant to challenge her. If Rataro had Thundrainium then… Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice in her head.

 _Sahara?_ She questioned.

 _It's me. Is Dad going to be ok?_ Her daughter wondered. It was when she received no response the litah tried again. Still no connection could be made.

"I lost mom." She told her brother.

"Lost her how?" Leo wanted to know.

"I don't know. She just won't respond." Sahara said. Ma-Mutt barked. Something was bothering him.

"What is it boy?" She asked. Her answer was a growl.

"He knows something isn't right. We have to get down to the planet." Sahara told her brother.

"And just how do you plan on doing that?" Tyler asked as he entered the secure conference room.

"Getting your mom and Snarf to miss that we're missing, first off." Leo said.

"You may be able to pull one over ol' Snarf but not my mom." The pumiger pointed out.

"This is true. Leo, find us a ship. Use the full weight of your title if you have to." Sahara told him.

"You got it." Her younger brother nodded.

"Tyler, you can distract your mom by riling up the younger ones. Get them high on sugar if you have to. Meet us back here as soon as you can." The litah took command.

"Ok but you know how much trouble we're going to be in?" He asked.

"When has that stopped us before?" She wondered.

"Point taken." The pumiger smirked before leaving the room. Sahara heaved a sigh and Ma-Mutt licked her leg. He seemed to sense what was going on and knew there was a lot on her mind.

"I love you too boy." She gave a slight smile. Her stomach churned, as she wondered why her mother hadn't answered her.

Cheetara awoke to find herself lying on the ground. There had been some kind of blast and she had lost all her strength. Slowly, she tried to get up, only to be pushed back to the ground by Rataro.

"So the King does not fight and sends his wife to do the dirty work. I shall enjoy killing you." The rat said as he stood over her.

"You'll never get away with it." She told him.

"She that's where you're wrong. Tygra is lying over there dying and the Kittens were easily dispatched. Your troops are fighting valiantly but they will soon meet their end." Rataro smirked as he nodded to one of the men close by who bound the cheetah's wrists.

"Perhaps before I kill you, we'll have some fun first." He said. The Thundrainium made her weak but she tried to fight her attacker. However, Rataro put a stop to that by shooting her in the leg.

"Now play nice." He said.

"How about you play nice?" Hachiman asked as he thrust the Thunder Cutter at the rat removing his right hand where the Thundrainium gun was being held. He screamed in pain as the hand landed on the ground. Hachiman's next move was to slice the gun in half.

"Surrender or I will kill you." The samurai said. That's when Rataro's helper dropped the cheetah and came to aid his General by dropping Cheetara.

"Hi ya!" Hachiman shouted, slicing the Mutant in half. The dead Mutant had a surprised look on his face as the two halves of his body fell to the ground.

"Now surrender!" The samurai ordered. That's when a grenade exploded behind them throwing them to the ground.


	16. Chapter 16

"Mom? Mom?" It was Sahara's voice but she knew her daughter wasn't on New Thundera. She was in space. The litah must be trying to contact her through their gift. However when the cheetah opened her eyes she got quite the shock.

"Sahara?" Almost not believing what she was seeing, Cheetara reached out to touch her daughter.

"Medic!" The litah called and quickly a cougar appeared.

"You are awake milady. It is good to see you." The cougar smiled while checking the cheetah's vitals.

"Sahara what did I tell you and your brother?" Cheetara asked as she tried to sit up.

"Ma'am please I need an accurate reading of your blood pressure." The medic was only trying to make sure her patient was in good shape. The cheetah nodded and lay back down without taking her eyes off her daughter. Tyler appeared beside her and gave her a hug. Cheetara eyed the two of them, unsure if the pumiger had incited this disobedience or if her daughter was more to blame. That's when she saw Lion-O being wheeled over in a wheelchair by Leo. Her husband seemed happy despite both his legs being in casts.

"Very good milady. I'll be back to check on you later." The medic smiled and left, leaving room for family to talk.

"I suppose you had something to do with this?" Cheetara eyed Leo, who only blushed.

"More like Ma-Mutt." The young boy smirked.

"Oh and the dog managed to get you a transport? He's quite talented then." The cheetah knew he was covering for his sister. What better way than to blame the dog.

"How are you feeling?" Lion-O changed the subject.

"Not too bad. I have a little pain in my leg but that's to be expected. What happened and where are we by the way?" Cheetara wondered.

"Well there is a lot to explain. Perhaps things are better suited for when you are more up for it." Her mate said.

"Lion-O don't pull that shit with me. What is going on?" The cheetah gave him a look. This was the cue for the kids to go off and leave the King to tell his Queen everything.

"Three days ago you were caught in a grenade blast launched by one of the Mutants." He started slowly.

"Three days ago?" Cheetara couldn't believe she'd been out that long.

"Rataro was killed in the blast. Hachiman suffered severe wounds to his back and legs. We were able to use the Extractor to remove the shrapnel but he lost a lot of blood and the Evil Chasers took him to their trained medical staff at their nearest base. Tygra and the Kittens were transported there as well. Tygra has severe Thundrainium wounds to the abdomen, WilyKit was shot in the back and WilyKat caught a shot to the chest. At last update, there has been no change in their conditions. The Evil Chasers are hopeful but…" he trailed off. While all the information sunk in, the Lord of the ThunderCats continued.

"Shrapnel was removed from your legs and your Thundrainium wound was sowed up. Walking may be a little hard for sometime. The doctor promises that he'll do everything to speed the process along but you won't be able to run for months." Cheetara just nodded, knowing there was more.

"Where are we Lion-O?" She asked again.

"This is what is left of the Lair." He replied. Before he could continue, Doctor Chailen arrived.

"Both of you need your rest. I know there is a lot to say but she just woke up." The kind medical man explained.

"Yes Doctor. Thank you." Lion-O nodded and began to wheel away from her without so much as a look. The recent events weighed heavy on his heart. She'd seen that look in his eyes before. There was a lot more to the story.


	17. Chapter 17

Cheetara awoke from her nap when much of the Thunderians surrounding her were sleeping. She took the opportunity to sit up and look at her surrounding better than when she had woken before. Light rods were stuck to the floor in a pattern that denoted the walkway. The skinny fluorescent tubes looked as though their bases had been bolted to the floor, something only done if they were going to be a more permanent light source. They were great for walkways and small rooms but in a wide-open space such as this, the ceiling remained dark. It made it hard to discern what exactly the ceiling was made out of but it was obvious to her that the walls were in need of help. All around the space, she noted wall bracings in place, meaning the ceiling must be supported somehow as well at those bracings.

"Milady you should be resting." The medic who had attended her before had noticed the ThunderCat was awake.

"I'm afraid I can't anymore. I was sleeping for three days." The cheetah smiled. The cougar nodded and gave a slight smile.

"What is your name?" Cheetara asked.

"Niera, my Queen." The cougar bowed slightly.

"Please, you've seen me at my worst, call me Cheetara." She said. This made Niera smile.

"Now that that is out of the way. Where are we?" The cheetah wanted to know.

"Well from what I've been told this used to be the council room and ballroom. I haven't seen the inside of Cat's Lair before this so I really can't confirm it." Niera explained.

"Great Jaga. What is the roof made out of?" Cheetara asked.

"I don't know much about that. I think Lord Panthro would know more. He had the remaining soldiers put the walls and ceiling on. Since Lord Tygra is with the Evil Chasers, I think he is the only one who knows enough about these things. King Lion-O has had everyone on the Space Bases report to Third Earth." The cougar was a wealth of information and the cheetah pondered that last statement. Why had he sent everyone to Third Earth? It was a fourteen-hour trip from New Thundera to the planet they used to call home.

"Now I must return to my duties Cheetara. We have many more patients to look after." Her new friend said.

"How bad were the causalities?" The cheetah had one more question.

"I do not have accurate numbers but currently in this room we are holding sixty wounded soldiers and the remaining ThunderCats. Those that were not injured are through the doorway. As for the dead…" Niera's voice dropped. Cheetara could tell she didn't want to even speculate. They had had heavy losses she knew but how bad was only left to Lion-O and his Generals.

"Ah Lady Leanna comes this way. I shall leave you." The cougar smiled again and left. The lioness smiled to her as she passed the medic and went onto her best friend's side.

"I see you aren't sleeping either." She commented as she sat down beside her friend.

"I'm afraid not. Lion-O hasn't told me everything. I can tell he's holding back but what I heard from Niera didn't sound good either." The cheetah heaved a sigh.

"Well I can't say as I blame him. He has to tell a lot of mothers their sons and daughters died for Thundera and the Code. Unfortunately with no mass refrigeration system we buried most of them already. Panthro says they'll finish burying the rest today." Lea didn't sugarcoat anything.

"Any Mutant survivors?" Cheetara asked.

"With the death of Rataro most of those that remained turned themselves in. Those that refused were executed as enemies of the state. The Evil Chasers took over the proceedings since Lion-O was out of commission and they felt Leo was too young to have to deal with that kind of decision." The lioness explained.

"Those that turned themselves in? What will happen to them?" The cheetah wanted to know.

"Since they were given orders and couldn't refuse them, I'm not sure. A group of them expressed the fact that they wanted to join in the efforts of rebuilding Thundera. Seems Rataro might have had ultimate control over everything but their conscience. We all know if they had objected to serving their General they would have been executed." Lea said.

"You believe them?" Cheetara gave her a look.

"I don't know what to believe. Some of them swore their allegiance to Lion-O and the Code right in front of us. I think they were happy with the peace that we'd been having and war was something they didn't want." Her friend just shook her head.

"And Lion-O? What does he say about it?" She asked.

"He told the Evil Chasers to reserve their judgment on those who turned themselves in. He realizes that if they are willing to swear their allegiance to him that they don't want to be sent to Plundarr. That includes leaving their loved ones behind. He told me if they are willing to do that then they may be trustworthy. Bare minimum let them help us rebuild and then have the Evil Chasers determine how much longer they need to be in jail." Lea said.

"Makes sense. I just wonder how this is sitting with those left behind." Cheetara sighed.


	18. Chapter 18

It was later in the afternoon before the cheetah saw her husband again. He'd been meeting with all the personnel and trying to figure out a way for New Thundera to be rebuilt. No one had shown her the damage but the way everyone behaved Cheetara was sure it wasn't pretty.

"Mom are you ok?" Sahara asked as she approached her mother's side with Ma-Mutt wagging his tail behind her. She must have had a weird look on her face.

"Not to worry, just a lot on my mind." The cheetah gave a slight smile.

"Well the doctor is hopeful and that is important. Pumyra called from Third Earth and she says that she'll kick your butt if you don't listen to him." Her daughter smirked.

"So she thinks she can tell me what to do? When has that ever worked?" The two of them shared a laugh and even Ma-Mutt seemed to chuckle.

"I take it the mummy hasn't showed up?" Cheetara was referring to Mumm-Ra, of course, and the horrible hound gave a growl.

"I'll take that as a no. Although it is weird that we haven't seen Mumm-Rana." She commented.

"No one has seen her either. I believe Panthro is going out in the ThunderTank later to look for her; Lea will probably join him." The litah explained. Her mother nodded thoughtfully before changing the subject.

"So I take it Tyler is having a word with his father?"

"They've talked already. He said something about wanting to live a little bit longer and that there'd be no shenanigans but I'm not sure what he was getting at. Anyway, I suppose that since everyone has already assumed we're couple I guess we're going with it. I mean I'm turning sixteen next month; he'll be fifteen. It's all very…" Cheetara cut her rambling off.

"Sorry I asked. You guys talk things out and we can go from there." She smiled and wrapped her arms around her daughter's shoulders. Ma-Mutt barked and then growled which made the women alert that something was amiss.

"What is it boy?" Sahara asked as she let go of her mother and leaned down to her pet.

"He only growls when someone brings up Mumm-Ra or…" Cheetara didn't finish, as there was a commotion behind them. Both turned to see people rushing about and they could hear Lion-O barking orders.

"What the…" the litah didn't finish as Tyler came running and grabbed her arm. It was then that they could feel the ground shake beneath their feet. Ma-Mutt took off running through the doorway and Sahara moved to follow him but Tyler held her arm. She looked at him confused as to why he'd stop her when she saw the look on his face. There had been many things she'd seen on his face but this was one of the few things she hadn't, fear.

"I have to go after him." She said as she saw the remaining ThunderCats pushing the wounded out of the room through the same doorway the ever-living dog had. It was then she was struck with a vision. Her eyes glazed over and Tyler caught her.

"Quispiam malum hac adveho." She spoke in a language he did not understand and when she tried to move again he held her back. The litah shook her head and he removed his fingers unsure of what the new Sahara would do. Then in an instant she was gone.

"Come on! We have to get everyone out of here before the roof collapses!" Ben-Gali appeared from nowhere and grabbed his son. Quickly they worked to get the wounded out. Cheetara wished she could help but physically she was unable. Lea came by with a wheelchair and scooted her out of the makeshift building. As the last person exited the room, the ceiling collapsed.


	19. Chapter 19

Once outside they were confronted with Mumm-Ra. He towered over the remains of Cat's Lair and all those who escaped from it. With Lion-O in no sort of fighting shape, command had been shifted to Panthro. He raised the Sword of Omens above his head and called to the ThunderCats.

Cheetara could feel the need to join her comrades overwhelming her but her legs refused to comply with her brain's orders. She looked to Lion-O who was still barking orders despite being bound to the wheelchair he sat in. She could see the look on his face and she knew he so very much wanted to be apart of the battle.

"Well well if it isn't the ThunderAnts and their pathetic Guard. Coming to squash me are you? We can't have that." Mumm-Ra smirked and reached for Lion-O. This would be the perfect opportunity to kill the whelp who had been a thorn in his side ever since he was a cub. Luckily that moment wouldn't come as Ma-Mutt leapt at the giant hand and bit down on one of the large digits.

"Ma-Mutt you traitor! Get off me!" His former master shook his hand trying to get the dog to release him but all it did was make him bite harder.

"OWWWWW!" The mighty mummy boomed. While he was distracted, Panthro and the troops took action aiming whatever weapons they had left at the bundle of bones. This was all well and good but they knew that they could defeat the mummy. Most of the heavy equipment was out of commission and the personnel just wasn't enough. It wasn't until they heard another rumbling that they all shifted focus to the new super-sized being that rose up among them.

"This ends now!" The familiar face roared.

"Sahara?" Tyler couldn't believe it. His girlfriend stood at approximately sixty feet tall and even dwarfed Mumm-Ra.

"How in the…" the mummy didn't get a chance to finish as she slapped him across the face. It was at this point that Ma-Mutt let go of the mummy and headed for Tyler.

"You'll pay for that girl." Mumm-Ra spat blood from his mouth, which made everyone beneath him run.

"Not as much as you'll pay for what you have done. You have posed a quandary to me and I intend to answer it." Sahara smirked. Now confusion spread through the ranks. What was she talking about?

"Ah Mumm-Rana, so that's where you disappeared to. Hiding in a little girl's body? Isn't that a little low for you?" The ever-living evil gave her a menacing grin.

"Only she has the power to do this!" Sahara screamed as she lifted her hands and a massive energy blast knocked the mummy on his rear.

"Transporto malum ex unde is venit. Laxo quis has been perfectus. Expello is everto tergum ut abyssus!" The words were unfamiliar to everyone except Mumm-Ra. The spell had been cast and he screamed obscenities as a portal opened and sucked the mummy away. And just like that, things were once again calm. Sahara suddenly began to shrink back to normal size. As she neared her usual height, she collapsed on the ground. Quickly Lea ran toward her and checked all her vitals. She was alive but unconscious.

"Ok someone is going to have to explain this to me because I'm confused." Panthro said as he approached his wife. Gently he scooped up the litah and brought her to the nearby steps of what used to be Cat's Lair's entrance. Ma-Mutt and Tyler were immediately by her side, leaving the others to figure it out.

"The translation goes like this: Send evil from whence it came. Undo what has been done. Banish this demon back to hell. Although nothing seems as though it's been undone. But my guess is that wherever Mumm-Ra went it wasn't pretty." Cheetara told them.

"Since when do you speak the language of the ancients?" Lea raised an eyebrow.

"Since right now I guess." The cheetah shrugged.


	20. Chapter 20

Some time later as darkness approached, the ThunderCats waited anxiously for Sahara to wake up. They'd managed to setup a temporary shelter for everyone and had scrounged for food. Things wouldn't last long but tomorrow was another day.

"How are you kiddo?" Lea asked as she approached Tyler. The pumiger hadn't left Sahara's side and neither had Ma-Mutt.

"Confused, nervous, and hungry." He smiled slightly.

"I think I can only help with the last one." The lioness smiled and handed him an apple.

"Thanks." Tyler bit into it, enjoying the fact that there would be something in his stomach finally.

"That girl of yours sure knows how to get you into a tizzy huh?" She teased after he'd swallowed.

"If this is what it's going to be like then yes." He smirked. Lea chuckled and gave him a pat on the back.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine. You're going to be a big brother again soon and the two little ones will tease you until they realize how cool it is to have someone," the lioness gave him a smile.

"I won't even meet my new sibling until things are back to normal. That could take awhile." He pointed out.

"This is true." Lea nodded. They sat in companionable silence until Cheetara was wheeled into the tent.

"Well I best be off. Panthro is probably causing a ruckus somewhere." Both she and Cheetara chuckled at that and the lioness took her leave.

"Still out like a light, I'm afraid." Tyler told the cheetah.

"So I see. How are you two holding up?" She wondered. Ma-Mutt's answer was to come over and lick her left leg.

"Do you want me to lick you too?" Tyler smirked at his little joke and Cheetara rolled her eyes.

"Nothing like a good dose of dog slobber to cure what ails you." She said.

"Yeah Sahara is going to have to take one heck of a bath when she wakes up. He's been licking her arm for like the past hour." The pumiger told her.

"Yummy." Her mother stuck her tongue out.

"We've got quite the party in here." Lion-O smiled as he too was wheeled over the bumpy lumpy ground. The guard was dismissed and the three looked at each other.

"Well I guess we all have some things to talk about." The lion started.

"I'm not quite sure if she and I are done talking about it." Tyler told them.

"Take your time kiddo. No rush. You've proven yourself to be an adult in the situations we've come up against. I've already talked to your father. He has no objections." Lion-O smiled, trying to reassure the pumiger.

"Thank you sir." Tyler smiled back.

"What did I tell you about the sir bit?" The Lord of the ThunderCats raised an eyebrow.

"Never to call you that. I'm afraid mom and dad raised me to. You deserve respect as an elder and as Lord and King." The pumiger told him.

"Yes well don't let all those titles go to his head." Sahara said. This made everyone turn and look at the litah.

"Hello." She smiled.

"Oh sweetheart we were so worried." Cheetara reached over and pulled her daughter out of the bed and onto her lap.

"I love you too mom." She smiled.

"You'll have to explain what happened because we're all thoroughly confused." Lion-O told her as he gave her a big hug from her new seat.

"I…" she started to say something when they were interrupted by the ground shaking again.

"I thought we took care of this." Lion-O muttered as Ma-Mutt began to howl.


	21. Chapter 21

The guards quickly returned to the tent to protect their leader. Despite trying to be strong the obvious signs of worry crossed their faces.

"What's going on?" Lion-O asked.

"Lord Panthro has instructed us to keep you here. He, Lady Leanna, and Lord Ben-Gali are checking things out." One answered.

"Oh when I get my hands on that panther, I'll…" Lion-O didn't finish as the rumbling stopped.

"That can't be good." Tyler said as he looked to Sahara who had climbed off her mother's lap.

"Better than you think young one." She replied.

"She's gone into Mumm-Rana mode again." Tyler told Cheetara as he turned to her. He was met with the cheetah's glowing eyes.

"Oh really not good." He muttered.

"It is done." Sahara smiled and then turned to her parents.

"And now for you two." Cheetara just nodded while Lion-O's eyes went wide. Somehow his wife and daughter were connected but he wasn't sure how. Things were very confusing especially when the litah came over and with a snap of her fingers made the casts on his legs disappear.

"I kind of need those." He said.

"No longer do you need those, Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats. You'll find you will also not need that wheelchair." Sahara smiled before turning to her mother.

"Cheetara, Queen of Thundera, come there is work to be done." In an instant, both were gone, leaving behind the cheetah's wheelchair.

"What just happened?" Tyler asked, thoroughly confused once again.

"I have no idea but the pain in my legs is gone." Lion-O smiled and attempted to stand up. Quickly Ma-Mutt and the pumiger were by his side in case the litah's cure hadn't worked.

"Look!" Lion-O exclaimed as he walked away from the wheelchair.

"Gods of Thundera." Tyler murmured. Whatever Sahara had done, it had cured the lion.

"King Lion-O!" Both guards dropped to their knees in salute.

"Rise my faithful soldiers. We must see what the others are up to." He smiled and they all left the tent.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Ben-Gali asked his comrades.

"Uh I think so." Lea replied. Her husband remained silent. She elbowed him in the ribs and he turned to her.

"My Tank it should be…" he let out a holler and ran toward the structure.

"That man of yours has some serious issues, you know that?" Ben-Gali smirked which earned him a look.

"Yes well somehow I don't see how all of this is possible but if his Tank is still kicking you can be sure, Panthro is very happy." Lea smiled at what that meant for them later.

"Uh huh. Well I think we might want to go get…" the white tiger didn't finish his sentence as a large hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"So this is what you were keeping me safe from." They both turned around and saw Lion-O standing.

"But… how…" Lea couldn't form a sentence.

"Long story but I believe we should go check out our new Cat's Lair." The lion smirked as they headed toward what had been a pile of rubble and was now a complete structure.


	22. Chapter 22

The Lair turned out to be in working order as the entire group fanned through the building. Lion-O had the troops set up places for everyone to sleep and had gone into the kitchen to see if they'd been lucky enough to have the cupboards filled.

"Seems we're still low on the food supply." He sighed to himself. Ma-Mutt had followed him and gave a loud burp.

"Apparently not everyone is hungry." The lion smirked knowing the dog found something to munch on earlier.

"The radio is up and running and I've got the scanners doing a sweep of the planet right now. Most of the villages still seem intact, only some minor repairs to be done. I think tomorrow would be a good day to start that." Panthro told him as he entered the room.

"Well done. Contact Third Earth and the Space Bases. Tell them to start transports back here. Have them bring food and medical supplies from our former home. We're low on manpower to boot so the reinforcements will come in handy." Lion-O smiled.

"On it." The panther smiled back and as he headed out of the room, Lea bumped into him running at full speed. Needless to say the panther was caught off guard and they fell to the floor in a heap.

"I know you want to be able to use our bed baby but can't you wait?" He chuckled as they helped each other up. She gave him a look before turning to Lion-O, who was chuckling.

"The Evil Chasers are on the video screen in the control room. They want to talk to you." She told their leader.

"On my way." With that the lion was out the door leaving the husband and wife alone.

"You mister, are in big trouble." Lea smirked.

"Punish me later." He teased as they began their walk back to the control room. Ma-Mutt gagged and gave a bark to show his disapproval.

"Mandora, its good to see you up and about." Lion-O smiled at his friend.

"I should say the same for you. Perhaps you can explain how Cheetara and Sahara got here and removed Tygra, the Kittens, and Hachiman. Also, how did you get Cat's Lair back up and running?" She wondered.

"To be honest I have no idea. Mumm-Rana has taken over Sahara's body but that's about the only thing I can say for sure." He tried to explain.

"Ok, well then you'll have to give me the scoop when you've got it all sorted out. Now what about the prisoners?" Mandora wanted to know.

"Give me a couple of days to get things settled and I'll call you back." Lion-O said.

"You've got it." The connection ended and he sat down in the chair.

"So what's next?" Lea asked.

"Not sure. I'd like to hold a council meeting before we get ahead of ourselves. Meantime, it would be nice to get some sleep." The Lord of the ThunderCats sighed.

"That it would but I've been sleeping a lot lately." Tygra smiled as he walked into the room. Immediately, everyone in the room surrounded him and gave him hugs.

"Share the love with everyone." The orange tiger couldn't stop smiling as the Kittens and Hachiman walked into the room.

"I don't know how they did it but they did it." Lion-O was very happy to see his old friends alive and well.

"Us either but I'm glad." WilyKit smiled as she got a hug from Lea.

"We must get Ben and Tyler!" Panthro went to the panel and poked the COMM button and called them to the control room.

"Where are Cheetara and Sahara?" Lion-O asked his friends.

"They promised they'd be back by morning. Something they had to do." Tygra shrugged. The lion nodded and wondered what was so important.


	23. Chapter 23

Sahara and Cheetara found themselves inside the white pyramid just as the sun rose up over the distant mountains. They weren't really sure how they'd gotten there or how it happened but they hoped Mumm-Rana would give them some answers. However, they soon discovered that her sarcophagus was empty.

"Ok do you have a bad feeling about this because I sure do." The litah told her mother.

"Not exactly a warm fuzzy kind of situation." Cheetara nodded.

"THUNDERCATS." Boomed the Ancient Spirits of Good.

"Yes?" They both asked.

"YOU HAVE BEEN DEEMED WORTHY AND A GREAT GIFT HAS BEEN BESTOWED UPON YOU." They told them.

"What kind of gift?" The cheetah wanted to know.

"MUMM-RANA HAS SACRIFICED HER FREEDOM SO THAT YOU MAY HAVE THE ULTIMATE POWER OF GOOD OVER YOUR ENEMIES. WITH MUMM-RA SENT TO THE FAR REACHES OF HELL, MUMM-RANA'S POWERS MUST BE DIMINISHED AS WELL. IT WAS THE ONLY WAY TO WIN THE WAR THAT HAD STARTED HERE ON NEW THUNDERA. NOW HENCE FORTH, SAHARA WILL POSSESS ALL OF MUMM-RANA'S SKILLS. NO LONGER WILL WE OR THIS PYRAMID BE NEEDED." The ancient ones said.

"Time out. What just happened?" It was all too much to process for the litah.

"If Sahara is to have Mumm-Rana's abilities, should she not have her weaknesses also?" Cheetara wondered.

"NO. SHE IS STRONG ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND THE TOLL TAKEN ON HER BY THE MAGIC. SHE HAS BEEN BLESSED WITH NOT ONLY AN ENHANCED SIXTH SENSE. THE EYE OF THUNDERA HAS GIVEN HER SOMETHING SO MUCH MORE." Came the reply.

"The Eye? What does that have to do with my abilities? Dad is the one with the power over the Sword." Sahara was really confused.

"ASK YOUR MOTHER YOUNG ONE. NOW IT IS TIME FOR US TO LEAVE THIS PLACE AND JOIN MUMM-RANA IN PARADISE." The ancient spirits smiled and then in an instant were gone. The pyramid disappeared beneath their feet and the two were left standing on the bare ground.

"Ok, time for an explanation." Sahara turned to her mother.

"Back to the Lair first. We must find out what has been going on." Cheetara avoided her daughter's questions and raced off at top speed for Cat's Lair. Sahara heaved a sigh and followed.

Lion-O sat in the counsel room, waiting for the others to arrive. They would need to return Hachiman to his own time, along with handling the Mutants that remained.

"Deep in thought?" A familiar voice broke him from his thoughts and he smiled.

"It's very good to see you." The lion stood up and pulled his wife to him. Pressing their lips together, they lost track of everything around them until Panthro cleared his throat.

"Good to have you back." He chuckled.

"Good to be back." Cheetara smiled.

"Where is Sahara?" Lea wondered.

"Probably off to find my son." Ben-Gali chuckled.

"Oh well they haven't seen each other in almost a day. You know how teenagers can be." Lea laughed remembering how things had been for her.

"Not only teenagers can be like that." Panthro laughed as he raised his eyebrows at his wife.

"Don't I know it." She leaned over and whispered something into his ear.

"Oh that is so wrong." WilyKit and WilyKat said together.

"Meeting has begun people." Tygra shifted the focus back to what they had been meaning to do.

"Yes of course. First order of business, Hachiman we must return you to your own time. You have no objections, I assume?" Lion-O smiled at his long time friend.

"No, I don't Lion-O." The Samurai smiled back. It would be nice to get home. Last night the two had discussed the ThunderCutter's behavior and they had reached the conclusion that with everything out of whack, the sword had taken over.

"As for the Mutants…" the sentence died and everyone was waiting for a decision.


	24. Chapter 24

Sahara had managed to find Tyler and Ma-Mutt inside the control room. The two practically tackled her to the floor when they saw her enter the room.

"It's good to see you too." She laughed as they let go of her.

"How are you? What happened?" Tyler shot a barrage of questions at her.

"I'm fine and it's a long story, one I think everyone will want to hear." The litah smiled at him and he nodded.

"Right now everyone is in the council room. Your dad wanted to discuss what would be done about the Mutants." The pumiger told her.

"I kind of figured. So what are we to do while they're busy?" She wondered.

"Ships are inbound from the Space Bases and Third Earth. I'm supposed to man the radio." Tyler explained.

"Ah, what is the time of arrival?" Sahara asked.

"The first ship should arrive within the hour. From there I have to call into the counsel room. My mom is due in about an hour and a half." Once again he smiled before taking his seat at the controls and Sahara taking one next to him.

"Boy is she going to be pissed after what we did." She giggled.

"That is true but…" Tyler didn't get to finish as the radio beeped, signaling an incoming call.

"Transport three-delta-zero calling Cat's Lair; come in Cat's Lair."

"This is Cat's Lair. Go ahead three-delta-zero." The pumiger responded as he pulled up the vid screen to vid screen communication channel.

"We have an emergency medical situation." The cougar at the controls relayed.

"What kind of situation?" Tyler asked.

"Lady Pumyra is going into labor and we have no medical staff aboard."

"She's early. Run get Tygra." He turned to Sahara and she was out the door before he finished his sentence.

"We'll aid you from here three-delta-zero. Tygra is on his way." The pumiger told them.

"He'd better hurry." Tyler grew anxious at that remark. His mom was about two weeks early and she was older than when most Thunderians give birth. Tygra had said it would be dangerous and he'd kept an eye on her for most of the time but as of late he hadn't been available.

"What's going on?" The orange tiger asked as he entered the room just behind Sahara.

"Mom's giving birth!" Tyler practically shouted even though he didn't mean to. The tiger nodded and took over the conversation quickly explaining everything that needed to be done. The instructions were relayed to the people attempting to help her.

"Should I move the thrusters into full power?" The cougar asked.

"Movement like that could cause damage to the baby. Hold your speed and course. What is the status of Lady Pumyra?" Tygra wanted to know. The cougar disappeared from sight and the sound of screaming could be heard in the background.

"They're killing her!" Tyler was very upset. He'd never heard his mother scream like that. Sahara grabbed his arm and pulled him close.

"Everything will be ok." She hoped for his sake she was right.

"We're almost there. That screaming wasn't Lady Pumyra. We just had a crewmember pass out after seeing what he saw. I'm guessing childbirth was something he wasn't prepared for." The cougar explained.

"Ah I see." Tygra said. Tyler and Sahara just looked at one another both seemingly making a silent promise to never have kids.

"Um be right back." The cougar disappeared again.

"Perhaps you'd best get your father Tyler." Tygra was hoping that they wouldn't need to hear anymore. Quickly they both took off but Ma-Mutt stayed behind.

"Interested pooch?" He asked. Ma-Mutt seemingly shrugged. Tygra chuckled slightly wondering if that old saying about curiosity and the cat could have also been applied to dogs.

"The delivery was a success!" The cougar was excited.

"Where is my husband?" Pumyra asked from behind him.

"He's on his way ma'am." The cougar promised.

"Out the way! I'm a daddy again!" Ben came running into the room.

"A happy healthy bouncing baby boy!" Pumyra smiled as they brought her up to the screen in her reclined chair.

"I wish I could be there." Ben pouted a little.

"We'll be entering New Thundera airspace within the next hour." The cougar promised.

"So have you picked a name?" Tygra asked.


	25. Chapter 25

All the excitement going on had settled down about two hours later when ships began arriving and unloading all their cargo. The meeting had come to an unofficial end and the ThunderCats really hadn't finished discussing. There were other very important things going on and everyone was getting an assignment.

A few days later, Mandora called again. Apparently the Evil Chasers were getting impatient with their load of prisoners.

"Lion-O we need a decision." His old friend reminded him.

"I'll be journeying to your base. I must speak with them before I make my final decision." The lion told her. She could see it weighed heavy on the young lord. He had certainly aged beyond his years and as of late he was physically starting to show it.

"It seems to me the decision shouldn't be so difficult." Mandora said.

"It always is when you hold someone life in your hands. Despite their trespasses they were just following orders. The head of the snake is gone but what to do with the body?" Lion-O smiled slightly.

"Indeed. Well they certainly have been on their best behavior. We'll see you in a couple of days." With that the conversation ended and Lion-O left his seat in the control room.

"You wanted to see us?" Panthro asked as he stood near the doorway of the room with Cheetara and Tygra.

"Yes. I'm heading to the Evil Chasers' Base and I need to leave someone in charge." Lion-O smiled slightly.

"Ah so why all three of us?" Tygra wondered.

"There are big tasks in front of us and Jaga knows I couldn't handle this all on my own so I'm not expecting any of you to. Panthro, I want you to oversee all the rebuilding. This includes our weapons and homes alike. Since most of the villages are already mostly back together, you can get a jump on the Feliner." The lion winked at the panther before continuing.

"Tygra, I need you to make sure that everyone is healthy. Dispatch medical teams and have the crops checked for damage. Winter will be upon us soon and hopefully the growing season isn't too short." Tygra nodded as the Lord of the ThunderCats turned to his wife.

"You're in charge. Make sure things are going smoothly and that the people are well tended to. Any of those seeking answers to their loved ones who have died, please tell them that all of Thundera is sorry for their loss and that upon my return I shall be visiting every family individually." He smiled slightly to her. She stared at him uncertain if he was being serious.

"Visit every one of them?" She asked. Lion-O had a big heart and she commended him for his offer but she feared it would take a horrible toll on him.

"Yes. They must know that I am truly sorry for what happened to their loved one and that in the future I will do everything in my power to prevent something like this from happening again." He smiled again but it wasn't his usual smile.

"Your father would be very proud, Lion-O." She told him.

"As would Jaga." Panthro smiled.

"It is quite the task but I'm sure you're up to the challenge. Many times your father spoke to me about how he regretted not being able to share in his people's pain when someone they loved died. He always wished he could do more for his people." Tygra nodded and then the two men left the couple to themselves.

"I have some big shoes to fill." Cheetara smirked.

"You can wear my extra boots if it'll make you feel better." Lion-O teased.

"I wouldn't be able to run very fast in those." She laughed.

"I'll be back sooner than you think. Give my love to the kids." He smiled as he pulled her into his arms.

"I will. Be careful." The cheetah kissed him on the cheek before he let go of her and headed down to the hangar where his ship waited for him.


	26. Chapter 26

Cheetara heaved a sigh. It had been a long day. She had no idea how Lion-O did it. Seeing the look on the families' faces when she delivered the news about their son, daughter, or father. Most of the mothers or wives couldn't stand up and little ones wailed. She knew that if were to lose one of her children she would probably be unable to get out of bed.

She was grateful to find the bed she shared with the King of Thundera just the way she had left it, unmade. It was easy to crawl under the covers and pull them over her. Absentmindedly, she put her arm where normally her husband would be. She missed him. He'd been gone almost a week. He'd promised he'd only be gone a few days. Still she knew the decision he had to make was tough and she trusted his judgment.

"Cheetara." Her name was being called over the COMM.

"Oh for crying out loud." She muttered. Getting out from underneath the warm covers she pulled on her bathrobe and answered the call.

"Yes, Panthro?"

"It seems that we have someone requesting to enter our airspace. I figured I could make the decision but it seems our caller wants to speak to whoever is in charge." The panther responded.

"On my way." She cut the conversation short and quickly changed back into her uniform. Shaking her head, she raced down the hallway and entered the control room.

"We have this caller on the video screen?" The cheetah wondered.

"Yup." Panthro brought the picture up. Both were in for a shock when they saw a Jackalman Mutant.

"Who are you and what do you want on Thundera!" Cheetara spat. She was in no mood for this.

"The King wishes to speak to you my Queen." There was something awkward about that statement and she raised an eyebrow.

"What is your call sign?" She asked, this time slightly more polite.

"Thundera One." Came the reply.

"Please hold." Cheetara turned their screen off and turned to Panthro.

"Are they playing some sort of game or is what I think happening, happening?" She wanted to know.

"I'll get the others." He told her. Quickly he left his seat and moved to the main PA system.

"All ThunderCats report to the control room immediately." Cheetara heaved a sigh and turned the screen back on.

"I will speak to the King." She swallowed hard.

"Yes my Queen." The Jackalman pressed some buttons and Lion-O popped up on the screen.

"Are you ok? What's going on?" She immediately asked.

"I'm fine. Don't worry. I'm just teaching some protocol." He smiled.

"You want to run that by me again?" She raised her right eyebrow.

"I'll explain everything when I get home. May we enter Thundera air space?" He continued to smile.

"All righty then." She shook her head and ended the connection.

"What's going on?" Ben-Gali asked. He stood next to Pumyra who held their new son, Koji.

"Apparently Lion-O has brought home some new friends." Cheetara shrugged.


	27. Chapter 27

"Good people of Thundera, I come to you today to ask you something of great importance. Something I have struggled with over the past few days and something that requires you to be the gracious people I know you are.

"We have defended our homeland from an invasion of an enemy we know all too well or at least we thought we knew. They were forced against their will to join in with their brothers and had little options left open to them. I am willing to open our home to them and make it their new home, as they cannot go back to their own planet. I ask you now if you can find it in your hearts to accept them." There was a murmur throughout the crowd. They couldn't believe what was happening. Here their King had disappeared for a week and now two days later wanted them to accept something that sound very foreboding. Then from behind the King stepped a reptile. A collective gasp went up from the crowd. Had they lost the war and this was how they were finding out?

"What is that Mutant doing up there?!" Someone shouted.

"I have offered them a home here on Thundera. They are misunderstood on their own planet and would have faced certain death if they disobeyed their orders to fight." Lion-O tried to explain.

"Those things killed my son!" A woman cried out. This caused another murmur among the crowd. Then someone threw a tomato at the Mutant. He stood there and took it in the face without a reaction. This made the crowd grow silent. Normally, whoever it was would have lashed out in anger. Yet this reptile did not move.

"I'm sorry Lucius. This isn't exactly how I pictured things." Lion-O turned to him and apologized.

"Do not worry my King. They are angry, confused, and distrustful. I expected nothing different. My people are people of violence. It is my only hope we can earn their trust in time." The reptile smiled slightly as he wiped the fruit off his face.

"Do you want to speak? Perhaps if you tell them the entire story they will understand." The lion seemed hopeful and Lucius nodded.

"I will try." He said. Moving to the podium on the steps of Cat's Lair, Lucius cleared his throat.

"Good people, I do not ask for your trust immediately. Trust must be earned and I know that the Mutants you have dealt with have been untrustworthy, cruel, and downright evil. I ask that you look past the mistakes of my brothers and sisters and allow me to explain why my men and I have begged for the King's pity and forgiveness. Will you let me speak?" Silence followed so he continued.

"We are of people that is forbidden to speak of on Plundarr. We are peace-loving men who only wanted to live in secret among the others of our planet. You see if we were discovered there would be a massive genocide as I'm sure you all know, most Mutants would not think twice before killing someone who opposed them. We live because we hide who we are and you are offering my men the chance that the rest of our people will never get, freedom. We have pledged to give up everything including our families to stay here and live as free men. A chance my children will never get. It is my hope that I will see them again someday but until that day comes I wish to serve you as a loyal friend and ally. All of us have sworn to the King that we will uphold the Code of Thundera and protect those who cannot defend themselves. Will you allow us to do so?" More silence followed until one man moved through the crowds and walked up the steps toward the podium. The ThunderCats stood at the ready in case this man was a threat but he just smiled and extended his hand to Lucius.

"You are most welcome here. I offer my home to share should you need a place to stay." The older man continued to smile.

"That is very kind of you sir. I could not ask you to give up what is yours though." Lucius smiled back as he shook the man's hand.

"Nonsense. I have an old barn that is quite empty. We could turn it into a home for you and your men. I offer you jobs, helping me tend to my fields and when the Gods come to take me, you may split the property. I have not long left in this world and something good shall come of what I have now." The old man clapped him on the back.

"Thank you so much sir." Lucius was very touched by the gift bestowed upon them.

"Please call me Lynxus. We are friends are we not?" He asked.

"Yes Lynxus. I am Lucius. I am very pleased to meet you." The reptile smiled.

"Come then. Let's get your men and your belongings. The sooner we start the sooner you can sleep in a comfortable bed." Lynxus held out his arm to point out that the Mutant should lead the way to his men.

"Now there is something you don't see everyday." Panthro chuckled.

"No, you don't. I'm glad this worked out." Lion-O smiled.

"Things will take time but I think people will come around. Obviously Lynxus has no trouble with it." Cheetara gave him a hug.

"Well done Lion-O. Your father would be proud." Tygra clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"ThunderCats HO!" Ben-Gali shouted.

"HO!" They replied.

**T** **h** **e** **E** **n** **d**


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